The 2019 Pastors’ Conference has announced eight of the speakers for its Birmingham, Ala., meeting June 9-10 in advance of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting, with other names expected soon. “Kingdom Character” is the conference’s theme, to offer insight from the Beatitudes to help pastors and church members live faithfully …

Lawyers for both the U.S. Justice Department and a religious freedom organization defended the constitutionality of the ministerial housing allowance Oct. 24 before a federal appeals court. A three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago heard oral arguments regarding a 2017 opinion that invalidated the allowance as an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment …

A bipartisan bill to fight the opioid crisis was signed Oct. 24 by President Donald Trump. Trump stated that the bill provides $6 billion in new funding “to end the scourge of drug addiction in America.” “We are going to end it, or we are going to at least make an extremely big dent …

Roy J. Smith, former executive director-treasurer (EDT) of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC), died Thursday, October 18. He was in declining health for more than two months according to his widow, Charlotte Smith. Smith first joined the BSC staff in 1962 as an area missionary …

Consultations with doctors through telemedicine will be available at no out-of-pocket charge for the majority of participants in the health plans of GuideStone Financial Services in 2019. The popular Teladoc service provides a consultation with board-certified physicians via phone or computer.

Politics is important for most evangelicals, but not so important that they question the faith of those who vote differently from them, a new study shows. A new survey from LifeWay Research sponsored by the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College explored the voting habits and political motivations of three groups of Americans …

Increased market volatility, which has commanded increased headlines in the days leading up to the November mid-term elections, has caught many by surprise. However, David S. Spika, chief strategic investment officer for GuideStone Financial Resources, noted that stock market volatility is a common and normal occurrence.

Angry reaction to news the Trump administration may revert to the traditional definition of gender in some federal programs, three evangelical commentators say, reveals society’s confusion and need for ministry. The administration’s proposal “may sound controversial, but it is not,” Andrew Walker of Southern Baptists’ Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission wrote in an Oct. 23 commentary.

Six in 10 Americans say religious belief is a matter of personal opinion. For 7 in 10 Americans, such religious beliefs include one true God existing in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But an increasing majority of Americans deny Jesus has always existed and many say the Holy Spirit is a force rather than a personal being.

Eugene Peterson, bestselling Christian author known for “The Message” paraphrase of Scripture, died Oct. 22. He was 85. Pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Md., for nearly 30 years, Peterson published more than 30 books on biblical spirituality, pastoral theology and Christian living …

ABOUT THE BIBLICAL RECORDER
Since 1833 the Biblical Recorder has served North Carolina Baptists as the Baptist State Convention's official news journal - with the emphasis on news. The paper was founded by Thomas Meredith, an early pastor, writer and denominational statesman in North Carolina.